Local ordinances
I was heartened to hear that Wilkes-Barre Twp. is planning on enforcing their ordinances in the near future. This is very good news for all of us who value cleaner neighborhoods and business districts that don't specifically invite vice.
Many communities around the country are doing what they can to prevent a deluge of sexually oriented businesses in their areas. You can read about one such attempt here. Why are communities doing this? Here are a few reasons:
1. Sexually oriented businesses contribute to increased crime.
2. Sexually oriented businesses expose children to obscene signage and other inappropriate content. (Just as Gentlemen's Club 10 is currently doing).
3. Sexually oriented businesses decrease property values. This is one of the main reasons they are often required to operate a significant distance away from residential areas. (Ask the people who live next door to Planet Pocono what has happened to the value of their properties since Planet Pocono opened. Their property values have plummeted and most believe they will have a very difficult time selling their homes if Planet Pocono remains in operation).
4. Sexually oriented businesses set a bad tone for a business district, especially when they are located near other sexually oriented businesses.
This list could be much longer.
If your community has not yet enacted ordinances to restrict sexually oriented businesses from bringing these problems to your neighborhood, please contact your local officials and see what can be done. It's a little too late once sex businesses open shop in your town. The time to do something is now.
Many communities around the country are doing what they can to prevent a deluge of sexually oriented businesses in their areas. You can read about one such attempt here. Why are communities doing this? Here are a few reasons:
1. Sexually oriented businesses contribute to increased crime.
2. Sexually oriented businesses expose children to obscene signage and other inappropriate content. (Just as Gentlemen's Club 10 is currently doing).
3. Sexually oriented businesses decrease property values. This is one of the main reasons they are often required to operate a significant distance away from residential areas. (Ask the people who live next door to Planet Pocono what has happened to the value of their properties since Planet Pocono opened. Their property values have plummeted and most believe they will have a very difficult time selling their homes if Planet Pocono remains in operation).
4. Sexually oriented businesses set a bad tone for a business district, especially when they are located near other sexually oriented businesses.
This list could be much longer.
If your community has not yet enacted ordinances to restrict sexually oriented businesses from bringing these problems to your neighborhood, please contact your local officials and see what can be done. It's a little too late once sex businesses open shop in your town. The time to do something is now.
posted by Mr. Family at
7:52 AM
31 Comments:
Mr. Family,
So they are gonna enforce their ordinances. The Gentlemen's Club has a legal permit given to them by a judge to operate their business. If the township tries to shut them down, the club will have a solid case for a lawsuit. It could end up costing the township a huge amount of money. If that happens, Wilkes-Barre Township may have to eventually increase their property taxes. I would hate to be you. Is that why you keep your identity a secret? I think that its just because you are a COWARD. You probably have a few skeletons in you closet also. Have a nice day.
Mr. Billy
By
Anonymous, at 8:33 PM
There is a guy named, Bruce Phillips, who is the township solicitor. He seems keen on enforcing the "so called" ordinances. Could this man be Mr. Family? Maybe he is a good friend of his.
By
Anonymous, at 8:44 PM
Is Mr. Family one of the officials on the council for Wilkes-Barre Township? The President is Mary Yuknavich and the Vice President is Frank Tarnalicki. Maybe he is friends with them. The other people on the council are Gary Polakoski, Michael Sromovski, Michael Wildes, Jane Pekol, Ruth Ann Lyons, Michael Revitt, the Major Carl Kuren and their attorney Bruce Phillips.
By
Anonymous, at 9:00 PM
Do you really think the Township is going to enforce the ordinances? You're kidding yourself. They're all talk, like most politicians.
Gentlemen's Club 10 may be a room full of "perverts," but they have rights too. Leave them alone. I don't like what they're doing. I don't even think they're decent people. But I also don't think you should stick your nose in their business.
By
Anonymous, at 9:40 PM
It may just be that the politicians of W-B Twp are ok with sex businesses besides club 10 there has been an X rated cinema/book store behind K Mart for over 25 years and an adult book store on Rt 309 near Kidder Street for over 15 years and no one is complaining. So perhaps eventually others will follow, if they chose to do so. Unfortunately your ordinances just don't have enough teeth to stop these businesses as some other municipalities have.
By
Anonymous, at 11:28 PM
I'm not kidding. I'm reasonably positive that Mr. Family works at the PNC across from Wal-Mart. Someone I trust said they overheard a man in "upper management" express disgust over Club 10 operating nearby, with a pledge to "pray regularly" that it closed. I think that sounds like something that Mr. Family would say.
By
Anonymous, at 12:16 AM
THERE'S the "c" word ("coward") - I was starting to miss it. So much interest in Mr. Family's identity. I wonder, what would be the outcome if his identity does come to light? Then what would people have to write about? Why are 99.9% of the people who write in challenging Mr. Family's anonymity doing so anonymously? I also wonder why it burns so many people, so much, that others are merely exercising our right to free speech in expressing our disdain for sexually-oriented businesses? For people so adament about their "rights", they don't seem to have much concern for the rights of those with whom they disagree.
By
Anonymous, at 3:46 AM
This is really interesting. Everyone is so concerned about the identity of Mr. Family. Well I have a confession to make, I am Mr. Family. I was not wearing a t-shirt when we assembled to have prayer for the Patrons, Staff, Owners, Attorneys as well as all of the families that deal with the issues in their lives that are complicated by the existance of this club.Over 200 people showed up to pray for them. Among them approximately 100 people were wearing the t-shirts proclaiming to be Mr Family. Identity is really clouding the issue , you may not realize it but you too have a Mr. family very close to you, maybe a co-worker, brother , sister, neighbor. Mr. Family is not only a mere man but an idea, one which wishes to help and build up people, families as well as the area. We are not here to condem, but to offer hope. Mr family, I spoke to you in the beginning, it is good to keep this issue going. I believe it is having an impact. Do not turn the focus of this on the man but on the issue.
CB
By
Anonymous, at 5:28 AM
Oh there's Mr. Billy back to his (boring) "C" word again! He's tried taunting, demeaning, belittling, undermining, and sarcasm...around and around. So much said for his degree. Glad I don't have one of those degrees.
By
Anonymous, at 5:52 AM
LOTS of people express disgust over the club and voice that they "pray regularly" for its demise and all the obscenities in the world. For sure, THAT is "reasonably positive." I'm not kidding!
Get over your Mr. Family identity crisis already!
By
Anonymous, at 6:06 AM
W-B Twp. politician$ ARE all talk just like ALL politician$.
Think about this: why is it that the W-B Twp. politician$ and their atty., Bruce Phillip$, knew about all the other businesses they allowed to move in, but all of a sudden-so naively-just didn't happen to know the situation with the club?
The answer is clear: $$$,$$$
Such (naive) good ol' boy$!
Since they are so naive, it's time for them to step down and forfeit their raise$. Let a responsible administration take over.
By
Anonymous, at 6:26 AM
Forget any thoughts about Mr. Family being one of the officials on the Wilkes-Barre Township council/ mayor. Even collectively, that would be a joke for them to come up with something that involves integrity and honesty.
On second thought, they do put on a good front.
By
Anonymous, at 6:43 AM
Rich is correct in saying that the people that go to the club and own the club have rights to. And some people don't seem to want to see that. You may not like it, but they do have the right to run that business.
I absolutely hate all the "head shops" that are spread across our area. They sell bongs and other pot smoking items. I hate it, hate seeing them, but they have the right to sell those things, just not the drugs. To steal a line from Mr. Family, these Head Shops "Feed an addiction". But that doens't make them illegal. Just as any wine and spirit shope or beer distributor that feeds alcoholics. They are legal, and alcohol can do far worse damage to a family or marriage then a strip club.
By
Anonymous, at 9:19 AM
I pray with all sincerity that the hearts of Mr. Scalzo, his secret financers, the DelBalso Brothers, and Ms. Cook become sensitive to the leading of God.
If they had to stand before God this very day and account for what they are doing, what kind of excuse would they give Him?
Maybe they don't believe that God is real. In that case, I can see how they feel free to rationalize their behavior. But if He is real, and I believe that He is, I would not want to trade places with them when it's time to account for our lives.
Many of us are praying that you have a change of heart.
By
Anonymous, at 9:35 AM
Hmmm, All the sudden a "PNC Guy" shows up. Coincidence? I think not
( I also think it's funny how the only blogger name that gets blocked is Mr. Choice)
All about the censorship Mr.Family?
By
Anonymous, at 9:59 AM
To Kathy (3:46am):
I (and others like me) are not upset that you exercise your right to free speech by making your opinions about club 10 or establishments like it known. Matter of fact, I encourage you to continue your opposition to the club. The debate is healthy. However, what we DO object to is Mr. Family's lack of regard for other peoples privacy. The reason we want to know his identity is because he is trying to expose the identities of those who frequent Club10. I know he has documented his reasons for doing so but I do not feel that the end justifies the means. What Mr. Family is doing may be legal but that does not make it right. Lawmakers are just now starting to grapple with writing laws regarding internet posting and privacy. The right to privacy in this computer/internet age is THE hot issue among lawmakers, ethicists, teachers etc. It has even been suggested that the next amendment to our Bill of Rights should be the right to privacy. With camera phones and digital cameras not much bigger than a credit card anyone can snap a picture and put a person on line for the world to see. I believe that I have a RIGHT to be able to go wherever I want to go and not have my whereabouts broadcast on the internet because someone took a picture of my license plate. And, No I am not ashamed of where I go; but I still wouldn't want my license plate posted from outside the local library! This website comes up at discussions at my workplace and there are many people that have told me they AGREE with Mr.Family's basic position but are against his methods. I beieve it is because the methods are wrong.
By
Anonymous, at 11:23 AM
Mr. Family is one of the best wake-up calls we have had in Luzerne County in a long time. It's about time someone tried to put a stop to the deterioration of our county.
I hope your attempt works, Mr. Family. You have a lot of people rooting for your success.
By
Anonymous, at 11:41 AM
to anonymous at 9:59am:
I'm clearly all about censorship, as you can see by my unwillingness to post negative comments.
to Pat, Donna & Michael as well as all the other encouraging posters:
Thank you for your words of support. Your good attitude as well as your belief that we can make our county a better place to live and raise a family is a big encouragement to me. Keep it coming.
By
Mr. Family, at 11:48 AM
Mr. Family, Kathy, and all those who support him,
Can you please just answer one question for me? What right do you have in telling other adults how to live their lives?
Mr. Billy
By
Anonymous, at 11:55 AM
Mr. Family said:
2. Sexually oriented businesses expose children to obscene signage and other inappropriate content.
When did they start letting underage kids in?
By
Anonymous, at 12:08 PM
PNC guy,
I didn't know the Debalso brothers were investors in the Club. Wow, small world. I went to Catholic school with one of them. He is a real nice guy. Nice family too.
By
Anonymous, at 12:16 PM
Let's take Mr. family's stements one by and examine them and respond to them
Sexually oriented Business Increase Crime.
Fact: According to Wilkes-Barre Township police records,large retailers like walmart generate the most crime: ie shoplifting,
crdit card fraud, bad checks, purse snatching, car breakins, etc. i could not find ANY POLICE REPORTS/ Arrests CONCERNING ANY ADULT BUSINESSES in WILKes-BARRRE TOWNSHIP. Perhaps mr family can find some to back up his claim. And remember these adult businesses have been there for years.
Sexually Business expose Children to obsenity.
There is nothing obscene about the sign, nor is there any nudity or obscenity of g clu 10's website. Bear in mind that one must be 21 to get in there whilw the other byob strip clubs are 18.
Sexually oriented Businesses
decrease property values.
before Planet Pocono was there the place was a bar that featured topless dancing, befor that a gay bar, I am going back 20 years. Have hese people had their property appraised by a licenced professional and told there property values have suddenly plummeted. I do not think so. Ask a reality company company about the area, and they will show prices have increased.
4. Sexually oriented businesses set a bad tone.
Most people driving by on Mundy St would not know that is a strip club had it not received a lot of publicity. There is zoning to prevent two adult busineses from operating close together.
By
Anonymous, at 2:28 PM
In response to Anonymous of 11:43 am,
It's refreshing to read a respectful and articulate presentation of your viewpoint, without name-calling. I can only answer you on my own behalf; I won't presume to speak for Mr. Family or anyone else. Personally, I don't have strong feelings one way or another specifically about the photographs. As a Christian, I evaluate everything in light of God's Word, however, and I do believe there's support in the Bible for exposing the works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11-13). Of course, there's a time and a place for that. If you were my coworker and I became aware of some lewd after-hours activity of yours, I certainly wouldn't broadcast it around the office or humiliate you. If the need arose for me to address it at all (which would be unlikely), I would do so privately and discreetly. However, I don't perceive this website as targeting or seeking to expose individuals so much as exposing a systemmatic underbelly of filth in Wilkes Barre, and using tools such as the internet and political activism to discourage it. In reality, pulling one's car into the parking lot, walking from the car into the club, etc., are all very public activities that afford anyone present the opportunity to know what that person is up to. My privacy "rights" wouldn't even dawn on me if I was photographed walking into church...
By
Anonymous, at 3:19 PM
To those who question Christians trying to influence laws & ordinances to regulate indecency,
Think about it: all laws pertain to moral issues, right vs wrong. If morality were relative and there were no such thing as absolute truth, there could be no such thing as the law; we could never agree on what the law should be, as evidenced in these blogs. We already have laws regulating indecency in the broadcast media, limiting what items can be sold to minors, etc., so this is nothing new. Murder always has been wrong, and always will be; absolute truth.
I read an interesting article on the American Family Association website, on where to draw the line with regulating moral issues. That line is in regulating man's relationship to man, vs man's relationship to God.
In the latter situation, man is only accountable to God, so transgressions such as idolatry are not under the jurisdiction of civil government. Hence, the absence of a Christian theocracy in America, which is unbiblical. God alone can judge men's hearts toward Him, and in fact, He has promised to do so.
Issues of man's behavior affecting man, such as the sex industry, can and should be regulated by civil government, which by the way is an institution ordained by God (Romans 13:1-7). Individual rights have to be balanced against providing some measure of order and decency in a civilized society, a delicate balance indeed.
Just food for thought, for those interested in intellectually honest debate (not to be confused with name-calling).
By
Anonymous, at 4:30 PM
There is not one single obscene sig on that club. Nor does the website have a single image of nudity. They expose nothing to children. More is exposed to children in the soap opera's their parents watch druing the days while rasing their children. Or even the pictures of Eve nude. And that one is in church.
By
Anonymous, at 5:15 PM
In response to Mr. Family. "I'm clearly all about censorship, as you can see by my unwillingness to post negative comments."
Negative? That is your opinion. He is just telling the other side of the story. And many of his post and article's have some very good points and show they not all of your "studies" that you have posted are 100% accurate.
By
Anonymous, at 5:24 PM
Hey you idiot why not go after the Real whore houses, like the Pleasure Dome in White Haven, where they are knowen for there extras and major drug use? This place has signs in the dressing room that states they have the right to bring in drug dogs to search for drugs and there is no prostitution going on in this club what so ever. Also guess your little crusade back fired, since the club won't be closing and your little son's will be coming in as patrons thanks to you and your bible pumping followers. Bet you didn't plan for that to happen. Just to let you know there are plenty of "juice bars" in New Jersey and they all pull in tons of money, bet you don't want to here that good news! Long Live Club 10!
By
Anonymous, at 2:12 PM
Mr. Family said that the ordinances are going to be enforced by the township. These "so called" ordinances were approved after the Gentlemen's Club received the permit to open their business. The township doesn't have a leg to stand on.
By
Anonymous, at 11:14 PM
"What Mr. Family is doing may be legal but that does not make it right" says anonymous at 11:23 regarding the posting of license plates on this site. Mr. Choice says, "You may not like it but they do have a right to run their business" regarding the strip club owners. So, according to strip club supporters, the law only applies when it favors them and only they determine what is "right" or not? By the way, the Del Balso Bros. also own the Kingston strip club.
By
Anonymous, at 5:34 AM
Talk about the Kingston strip club- I live only a few blocks away from there- how come there are no coments about that place????? One would think that having a club so close to residential homes would be so much worse than Club 10's location.
By
Anonymous, at 6:53 AM
Anon 5:34 posted
"What Mr. Family is doing may be legal but that does not make it right" says anonymous at 11:23 regarding the posting of license plates on this site. Mr. Choice says, "You may not like it but they do have a right to run their business" regarding the strip club owners. So, according to strip club supporters, the law only applies when it favors them and only they determine what is "right" or not? By the way, the Del Balso Bros. also own the Kingston strip club.
The law is the law. If the club breaks the law, then it should be shut down. That is my point. The issue I have is this, the people against the club say no one should go there, that it's wrong, and immoral. The thing is, that is their opinion, and not the opinion of everyone. We are not determining what is right or wrong, but some here in the area are trying to tell others what is right and what the should do and not do.
To this point nothing illegal has happened at the club, they are changing to fit every ordinance and law the township and the club haters throw at them. People toss out stereotype remarks about the workers and the patrons. Thos who live in glass houses should not throw stones. No one is with out sin, just different types of sin.
By
Anonymous, at 7:20 AM
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